Georgia has the highest concentration of high-risk and poor quality dams of any state

🦫 Georgia's dam infrastructure poses a threat to those living close by

Right now, this is a space to practice scrollytelling, but it will eventually be a fully-reported piece.

Below, you will see data from the National Inventory of Dams, which documents all of the known dams in the country.

Georgia is home to over 5,500 dams, the fifth-most in the country.

A closer look at the dams in Georgia

Sallacoa Creek Watershed Dam No. 77

Location: Gordon County

Purpose: Flood risk reduction

Height: 56 ft.

Condition: Unsatisfactory

Last Inspection: March 22, 2016

Cochran Lake Dam

Location: Cobb County

Purpose: Recreation

Height: 31 ft.

Condition: Unsatisfactory

Last inspection: March 7, 2019

Dams with

no owner

of record

Sallacoa Creek Watershed Dam No. 77

Location: Gordon County

Purpose: Flood risk reduction

Height: 56 ft.

Condition: Unsatisfactory

Last Inspection: March 22, 2016

Cochran Lake Dam

Location: Cobb County

Purpose: Recreation

Height: 31 ft.

Condition: Unsatisfactory

Last inspection: March 7, 2019

Dams with

no owner

of record

Georgia is home to 5,533 dams, the fourth-most in the country.

In Georgia, Category I dams defined as "high-hazard," meaning failure would likely result in the loss of human life. Georgia has over 650 Category I dams.

Of those, over 200 are in poor condition, a share over 30 percent higher than any other state. Dams in poor condition are those where deficiencies were identified during the structure’s latest inspection. State law requires these issues be repaired and resolved.

Two high-hazard dams in Georgia have been deemed to be in “unsatisfactory” condition, which should trigger “emergency remedial action,” according to the National Inventory of Dams.

Not only does Georgia law require immidate resotoration of unsatisfactory, Category I dams, it also requires official inspections every two years. These dams' last inspections were in 2019 and 2016, respectively.

There are currently no plans to repair either dam.